Muffle.



No. 765,728. PATENTED JULY 26, 1904. J. 0. FOX. MUPFLE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 12. 1904.

N0 MODEL.

III 1 UNTTE STATES- Patented July 26, 1904.

PATENT OFFIcE.

JAMES CHARLES FOX, OF BATTERSEA, LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO THE MORGAN ORUOIBLE COMPANY, LIMITED. OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

MUFFLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 765,728, dated July 26, 1904.

Application filed March 12,1904.

To all 111710712. zit may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES Onannns Fox, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Battersea \Vorks, Battersea, London, England, have invented new and useful Improvements in Muffles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to muffles of the kind used by assayers for the roasting or cu- IO pellation of ores. In such muiiies as heretofore constructed the air necessary for producing the desired oxidation of the charges under treatment is admitted at one end of the muffle, with the result that the reaction takes 5 place successively upon the several charges, the action upon the charges in front of the muffle being completed very much earlier than those at the back of the muffle to which the oxygen does not at first get free access.

\Vith this arrangement time is wasted in awaiting the completion of the operation upon these back charges before a new series of assays can be commenced.

The object of this invention is to provide 2 5 means whereby the access of air shall be practically simultaneous to all the charges in the muffle; and to this end the invention consists in providing the mufrle with channels or passages through which the air-supply can be distributed to all parts of the muffle.

In a suitable arrangement for earryingout the invention one or more channels is or are formed integral with the walls of the muffle, the said channel or channels being supplied 3 5 with air from the exterior of the muflie and formed with a series of perforations, so that the fresh air which enters the said channels will be distributed over the surface of all the charges under treatment simultaneously. It

4 is to be understood that the channels may be made separate from the muiiie, if desired.

The door or front of the muflie is provided with plugs or the like for closing the channels until such time as the air isto be allowed to enter the said mufiie, and the said" plugs may also be used for controlling the quantity of air which enters the said channels.

To enable the invention to be fully under- Serial No. 197,841. (No model.)

stood, it will now be described by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which 5 Figure 1 is a perspective .view of a muflie provided with the improvements. Fig. 2 is a similar view of the door or front of the said muflie, showing the arrangement of the plugs for closing the air-passages. spective View of one of the said plugs detached. Figs. 4 and 5 are respectively a transverse section and a longitudinal section of the muflie, and Figs. 6 and 7 are respectively a front elevation and a side elevation of the front or door of the mufi ile.

(0 indicates the muflie, which at one end iselosed by a wall Z), having in it an aperture 0 for the escape of the gases and which at the other end is adapted to be closed by a door or 5 front (Z.

a c are air-passages which, as shown, are arranged along the sides of the interior of the muflie and each of which is provided with a series of holes or perforations ff, through 7 which the air enters the muflie, the said passages c 0 being preferably so arranged that the air which passes through the holes f f will come into contact with the top surface of the cupels or the like which are placed in the said muffle.

In the front (Z are formed recesses r g, the position of which is adapted to correspond with the passages c c, and in these recesses g r plugs It 71. are arranged, which serve to control 30 the supply of air which enters the said passages c c.

It is to be understood that the passages shown in the drawings are only given as an illustration, as it is obvious that they may be 5 of other shapes than that shown and arranged in different positions. For instance, if desired, the passages can be on the outside of the muffle instead of on the inside, or they could be arranged more or less on the arch of'the said 9 muffle instead of on the sides, as shown.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and 'in what manner the same is to be performed,

I declare that what I claim is 1. A mufiie consisting of a horizontally-dis- Fig. 3 is a per- 55.

posed chamber provided with means for closing its ends to exclude the products of combustion from the interior of the muffle, said in uil'le having a discharge-aperture and being provided laterally with a series of air-inlets extending from one end to the other, to supply the contents of the muflie with oxygen substantially equally throughout its length whereby the entire contents of the mufiie will be acted upon simultaneously and in a substantially uniform manner, substantially as described.

2. A muffle consisting of a horizontally-disposed chamber having its rear end closed and provided with a discharge-aperture for gases, and a movable front wall for closing the mufiie to exclude the products of combustion of the furnace, said muffle having air-passages extending longitudinally along its sides and communicating with the atmosphere and having air inlet apertures communicating with said air-passages and opening into the muffle at intervals throughout its length to supply oxygen uniformly to the contents of the muffle, substantially as described.

3. A muffle consisting of a horizontally-disposed chamber having its rear end closed and provided with a discharge-apertnre for gases, and a movable front wall for closing the muflie 'to exclude the products of combustion of the furnace, said muffle having air-passages extending longitudinally along its sides and communicating with the atmosphere and having air-inlet apertures communicating with said air-passages and opening into the muffle at intervals throughout its length, to supply oxygen uniformly to the contents of the muffle and devices for regulating the passage of air through said air-inlets into the mulfle, sub stantially as described.

L. A mufiie consisting of a horizontally-disposed chamber having its rear end closed and provided with a discharge-aperture for gases, and a movable front wall for closing the muflie to exclude the products of combustion of the furnace, said muflie having air-passages extending longitudinally along its sides and communicating with the atmosphere and having air-inlet apertures communicating with said air-passages and opening into the mulile at intervals throughout its length, to supply oxygen uniformly to the contents of the mul'lle, and movable devices for partially or wholly closing the communication between said. airpassages and the atmosphere, substantially as described.

5. A mufl'le comprising a horizontally-disposed chamber having its rear end closed and provided with a discharge-aperture, said mu'liie having its side walls provided with inwardlyprojecting longitudinally disposed air-passages having air-inlet openings extending at intervals from the front to the rear end of the muffle and opening into the interior thereof and a movable front for said mullle having recesses to accommodate said air-passages and permit the access of air thereto, substantially as described.

6. The combii'iation with a muitlie provided with air-passages upon its wall, of a front having apertures or recesses in it corresponding with such air-passages and designed to receive plugs for controlling the admission of air into and through the said passages, suljistantially as described.

JAMES CHARLES FOX.

Vitnesses:

JouN E. Bousrrmyn, (J. G. REDFERN. 

